90/10% of American Voters
We’ve heard a lot of talk about Mavericks this Election Cycle. There’s a simple reason: Mavericks are a very important, but extremely challenging group of Swing Voters to secure. To understand the difficulty in pandering to Mavericks, you have to understand the nature and history of the Maverick Demographic.
History
The etymology of “Maverick” dates back to the Old West, where Cowboys coined the term to describe unbranded calves found wandering on the range.1
However, in true Maverick style, the meaning of the word itself has changed over the years. Now, Presidential Campaigns refer to Maverick Voters as “Late-Deciders” because Mavericks often make decisions by the seat of their mavericky pants, frequently waiting to decide until they are literally in the Voting Booth.
90% of the time, Maverick Voters go along with their Party and blindly support them on Election Day. But 10% of the time, Mavericks will buck their Party and vote in an erratic, lurching fashion.2
As a result, Presidential Candidates have a devil of a time knowing how to appeal to Maverick Voters. At this point, they are willing to try almost anything…
There is simply no way to predict what Mavericks will do on November 4th. And it is very possible that Maverick Voters will be the deciding factor in determining our next President.
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1 Those calves were then branded, forced to join the herd, where they were fattened up and slaughtered.
2 See Also: Flip-Floppers
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